Eclipse 88120dvc from my car to the theater (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Bayne]

Hey guys, first of all, I did a search on this and came up empty... Anyway, I'm wanting to take the subwoofer out of my car and build a home theater subwoofer.

This would be used both for movies and music, so I don't want to sacrifice sound quality. I'd like it to be able to play pretty low. I am willing to do ported or sealed- depends on what you experts tell me. If you tell me ported, I'd like the ports to be 3" diameter (I have flanges that will fit 3").

Not sure what will power it. I'd take suggestions there as well.

Thanks for any help!
jeff



I have the DVC Model

 

[Robert_J]

Let me dig up some more detailed specs but it should work out pretty good. It's a nice TC Sounds built sub with a TC-9 motor structure on it.

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Thanks Robert!

 

[Robert_J]

Based on a Google search, I used Qes of .32 and Qms of 5. From there, I calculated a low Qtc (.5) would be one cubic foot net, heavily stuffed. That would be the easiest to build and provide you a very good response in a small room. Power it with a Behringer A-500 - http://www.guitarcenter.com/Behringer-A500-500W-Reference-Class-Studio-Power-Amplifier-480780-i1145440.gc.

For ported, four cubic feet with an Fb of 18hz. Same amp but use a subsonic filter set at 17hz or 16hz. One from eD or Creative Sound dot CA (Reckhorn model) would work fine. I think the 4 cubic foot design at the CS site would be a great starting point. Just use longer ports and don't build the little thing for the plate amp. It's a very, very sturdy design.

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Wow, thanks Robert! thats great info. I'll probably try it sealed first. I could not find the 4cf design at the CS site. Any chance you can link that directly? That amp looks great. Would you put that above a plate amp??

Thanks a ton!
jeff

 

[Robert_J]

I'd use the 1st design for sealed and the 3rd design for ported. When you do the ported, just use 3" PVC and elbows to get the correct port length.

http://www.creativesound.ca/pdf/SubDuction-plans-290307.pdf

Yes, I would use that amp over a plate amp. 1. Pro amps offer more power per dollar. 2. Your sub is a dual 4 ohm model. Wiring it up at 8 ohms would cut your plate amp's power by 1/3 or 1/2. The A-500 is perfect for driving a dual 4 sub. 3. Yes, you will need a SSF for a ported design but you still come out ahead money wise. To get similar power you would need to use the 1,000w plate amp from PE which costs $450. 4. I am a Behringer user. I have an EP-2500 running dual 15" TC-3000's with a Feedback Destroyer providing EQ. My subs are flat to 17hz with usable output at 14hz and can go to insane levels without straining.

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Ok, I'm sold on the amp.

Having a problem with the ports. The online calculator for port length i use said something like 12" or so for length. Problem is, what about multiple ports? it only allows me to input for one port. so, how do i calculate it for two? Also, am I ok just eliminating the little amp box and using the current dimensions? Or do I need to compensate for the gain of that area and make the whole thing smaller?

Thanks so much!

jeff

 

[Robert_J]

The amp box should be eliminated. The air spaced gained will be used up by the longer ports.

Dual 3" ports need to be 65.11cm or 25.6 inches each. You will need to use a PVC elbow. Those are about $6 each at Lowes. If possible find the thin wall PVC. My Lowes only carries the thick wall stuff. You will save a fraction of a liter of air space but it will be lighter overall. If you can't find it, you may need to brace the ports internally so they don't move if you drop the box.

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Do I need both ports? can I achieve the same results with one? If so, what length?

 

[Robert_J]

Yes, you need both ports. Running a single port will produce chuffing at moderate volume. Heck, dual ports will still chuff but at a much higher volume. Your sub is built by TC Sounds. I have about a dozen of their drivers in my house so I know what they are capable of.

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Ok, I know this is an old thread, but I've been a little preoccupied with stuff. I'm finally starting on this project. After looking into amps, and realizing I'd need a crossover as well if I went with the Behringer, I decided on a Crown XLS1000. It is 700w at 8 ohms bridged, and has a built in digital crossover- and was cheaper than the Behringer + Crossover setup. I am running it from a Yahama MG24 sound board at my church. The sub is still in its 1cf sealed enclosure- I haven't made the new enclosure yet.

Here's the deal, I have hardly no output. The amp has 1/4", RCA, and XLR inputs. I've tried them all. The sub is connected via binding posts and 12awg speaker wire. My current sub- a Polk 10 with a plate amp will rattle the doors down the hall at moderate volume settings, but to get a quarter of that volume from the eclipse and Crown, I have both the board and gain on the amp totally cranked. I have checked and rechecked the digital settings, and I am confident it is correct. I've used the RCA inputs and used a Y splitter so both channels get the signal. The bridged mode for the amp uses the channel 1 inputs, so i've even hooked it up to the second channel and run it in stereo, and its about the same volume- stereo is 215w per channel.


In the past, I have run the eclipse with a 100w plate amp and it had ridiculous volume. Any Ideas?


Thanks

jeff

 

[Robert_J]

How many volts does the Yamaha sound board put out? How many volts does the Crown require to get to full power? Do you have the "gains" turned up on the Crown?

 

[Jeff Bayne]

Not sure how many volts the board puts out- but its the same no matter which connection I use- 1/4", RCA, or XLR. I mean, they're both pro audio pieces- I could see voltage being an issue if I tried to run the amp from my Pioneer receiver's sub out... but these are made for each other.


There is no gain or pot on the back of the amp, just a gain for each channel on the front of the unit- and yes, it is turned up- in fact, without it totally cranked, i get virtually no sound at all.

Thanks Robert!

 

[Robert_J]

I can't find an owner's manual for the Crown or I'd look a little deeper.


What do you have your crossover settings at? Does the digital portion of the amp have an level setting?

 

[Robert_J]

Found the Crown manual and nothing stood out. Looked for the Yammy manual and didn't find it.


But it sounds like there may be an output setting on the Yamaha to switch between professional levels (high voltage output) and consumer levels (low voltage output).